Play Ball: Saturday, June 30

Charger Football Camp

Registration deadline: Wednesday, July 1, is the last day to register to ensure the camper receives a T-shirt.

Week 1 camp dates, times and place: Monday, July 16, through Friday, July 20, at Orion High School.

10 a.m. to noon. Middle school (seventh and eighth grades).

1 to 3 p.m. Youth (third through sixth grades).

Week 2 camp dates, times and place: Monday, July 23, through Friday, July 27, at OHS.

9 to 11:30 a.m. High school (ninth through 12th grades).

Registration: Forms are available at Orion schools. Checks should be made payable to Charger Football and sent to Coach Chip Filler, 1413 Sixth St., Orion IL?61273, or to Orion High School, Attn: Chip Filler, 1100 13th St., Orion IL 61273.

Equipment: High school players will need helmets and shoulder pads, which can be picked up from 8 to 10 a.m. Friday, July 20, at the high school.

Contact person: Filler, (309) 721-7952.

7th and 8th Grade Football Clinics

Time, dates and place: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays July 10, July 12, July 24, July 26, July 31, Aug. 2, Aug. 7 and Aug. 9 at Orion Middle School.

Registration: Forms are available at Orion Middle School. The clinics are free.

Details: Sessions will include speed and agility training, footwork drills, lineman drills and scrimmage two-hand touch games. Besides helping players improve their fundamentals, the sessions will promote teamwork.

Contact person: Brandon Taets, (309) 738-0362.

Orion Youth Tackle Football

Registration deadline: Friday, July 20. Late fees apply.

Season: Practice begins the week of Monday, Aug. 13. A jamboree will be held on Saturday, Aug. 25. A 6-week schedule of games on Sunday afternoons begins Sept. 9.

Ages: Orion area fourth graders entering fifth grade in the fall, and fifth graders entering sixth grade. Players must turn at least 10 years old during their fifth grade year, and they must not turn 13 before Sept. 15 of sixth grade.

Equipment: The registration fee includes full equipment, except an optional hard-cup chinstrap, which may be purchased at registration.

Affiliation: The Orion youth football program is a division of the Youth Sports Foundation tackle football league.

Contact person: Kyle Kreinbring (309) 781-3765 and Mitch Lee 314-2987.

Orion Soccer Club

Registration deadline: Tuesday, July 31. After that, a late fee will be assessed.

Ages: Boys and girls in kindergarten through eighth grade. Divisions are Under 6, Under 8, Under 10, Under 12 and Under 12. Players on Under 6 teams must have been born before Aug. 1, 2006.

Registration: Forms are available at Orion schools. Checks may be made payable to Orion Soccer Club. Forms may be mailed to Orion Soccer Club, P.O. Box 754, Orion IL 61273. Late signup will be held during school registration in August.

Schedule: Practices will begin in August, followed by six Saturday games in April and May.

Contact person: Carrie McCunn, (309) 526-3839.

OHS?Little Girls Camp

Registration deadline: Deadline is Wednesday, Aug. 1.

Dates, times and place: Monday, Aug. 6, through Wednesday, Aug. 8, at Orion High School. On Aug. 6 and Tuesday, Aug. 7, camp will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

On Aug. 8, camp will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a performance at 7 p.m. Campers should be at OHS?at 6 p.m., and family and friends will be allowed in at 6:45 p.m.

Ages: Girls from kindergarten through sixth grade.

Details: The OHS spirit squad will teach cheers, dances, drill downs, techniques, stunts, kicks, jumps, school song and team-building games. Each group will have a Big Sister.

Campers should bring a sack lunch.

Registration: Forms are available at Orion schools and at http://orionschools.us (click the Students Camps and Leagues tab). Fee includes a T-shirt the groups will design during camp with their Big Sisters. Checks should be made out to OHS?Spirit Squad and mailed to Julie Lough, P.O. Box 773, Orion IL?62173.

Contact person: Julie Lough, (309) 781-6242.

Orion Volleyball League

Dates: Practices begin in late August. Games will be played on Saturdays in August, September and October.

Ages: Fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade teams will be organized.

Registration: Deadline is Friday, Aug. 3. Fee pays for equipment and team shirts. Forms may be given to Carrie McCunn or mailed to Orion Volleyball League, P.O. Box 6, Orion IL 61273.

Contact person: McCunn, (309) 526-3839.

OMS?Football

Equipment pickup: Orion Middle School will issue football equipment on Thursday, Aug. 16, in the commons. Eighth graders will report at 3:30 p.m. and seventh graders at 4 p.m. Players should buy shoes early this summer so they can break them in.

First practice: OMS?football teams will hold their first practice after school on Monday, Aug. 20, for 2 1/2 hours.

OMS?Volleyball

Times, dates and place: Seventh and eighth grade volleyball clinic from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20, at Orion Middle School. Tryouts for seventh grade team will be 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21, followed by tryouts for eighth grade team from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m.

Orion Fall Festival Runs

Date, times and place: Saturday, Sept. 1. Charger 10 Mile begins at 7:45 a.m., the Tommy and Lindsey Nicholson Memorial 5K at 8 a.m. and the Orion PTA?Fun Runs at 9:30 a.m. All runs begin and end at Orion High School.

Registration: Forms are available at Orion businesses. Registration deadline is Monday, Aug. 27. Early packet pick-up and late registration will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, at Orion Fall Festival in Central Park. Race day registration is at 6:30 a.m. Sept. 1, at OHS. Checks may be made payable to Orion PTA. Entries may be mailed to Jill Scharpman, 2609 N. 1100th Ave., Lynn Center IL 61262.

Also, entries may be made at getmeregistered.com. Scroll down to September and look for Orion Fall Festival Runs.

New for 2012: Chip timing and technical shirts. Also, Charger 10 Mile finishers will be guaranteed entry in the capped 2012 Quad City Marathon.

Awards: All pre-registered participants are eligible for door prizes. Cash prizes will be awarded for first, second, third and random places. Age-group awards will be presented in the 5K, and medals will be awarded to all finishers in the Charger 10 Mile.

Contact persons: Scott Hoffman, (309) 738-6261, or Jill or Jeff Scharpman, (309) 476-1343.

League & team organizers

The Orion Gazette regularly publishes registration, tryout, camp and tournament information. To have your league or team included in “Play Ball!” you may leave a registration form in the Orion Gazette box at any of the three Orion schools. (Ask the office staff where to leave the form.)

You may also leave information at the Gazette office next to the post office in Orion, or you may e-mail it to oriongazette1@frontiernet.net.

Our deadline is noon Tuesdays.